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How to Avoid Falling into the Scam Trap

On the internet, there are a few scams that you need to be aware of. Knowing what they are and more importantly, knowing what you are looking for is key to avoiding them entirely. To make things simpler, consider the base of all online scams to fall into one of two categories:


Misleading Emails

Phishing emails are far more advanced than what they are in the early days. Now they can have a professional template, use your personal data to convince you that your dealing with the real company, and even have links to semi-familiar domains. In short, it can be all too easy to fall for a phishing scam. Once you do, you could be redirected to a site designed to capture credit card information or infect your computer with malware, and more.


False Websites

On top of phishing scams is the use of false domains. These domains are so similar to the official website that users click on them without thinking. Due to PPC marketing, they might even be at the top of Google. Combine that with a cloned home page, and you might accidentally input sensitive data directly into the hacker's servers.


How to Avoid Falling into the Scam Trap

To avoid falling for a scam and to protect your data and private information you will want to take a few key proactive steps. This includes beefing up your cloud account as much as it does using unique passwords.


1. Train Yourself to Recognize Phishing

The best way to avoid phishing scam is to recognize it when you see it. If you are not expecting an email from a company, then it is best to double check all the information. Search up the official company site and see if it's the same email, check the policy for each company (banks, for example, will never call you), search for similar scams, and even consider contacting the company separately to see if it is valid.


2. Install Anti-Virus Software

Always have anti-virus software installed, your firewall on, and never download suspicious links. You will also want to keep every single program you have updated, so they all have the latest security updates.


3. Run Regular Scans

Just because things can get past you, it is wise to scan your entire system on a semi-regular basis. There might be viruses hiding in old programs you haven't yet opened.


4. Use Unique Passwords

Every important account that has personal information about you must have a complicated, unique password. If a hacker gets access to such an account, the damage they can inflict will at least be isolated.


5. Improve Your Cloud's Security

Because your Cloud account is managed by another company, you might think that data is safe. It isn't. Just have a look at the information about cloud security on McAfee. There are several ways you can be hacked there and knowing how to improve your security is key.


6. Delete Old Accounts

Last but not least, go through all the old accounts you used (even as a child or teen) and delete them if you can still get into them. Old accounts are always a risk for your current ones, as they might have key information or even use the same passwords.

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